Achi news desk-
Flair Airlines is experiencing service issues on its website that are affecting customers’ ability to book a flight with the low-cost carrier.
A number of customers reached out to Global News over the weekend stating that they were unable to book a flight on the Edmonton-based airline. Others on social media echoed the concerns on Monday.
As of Monday afternoon, users who tried to book a flight were met with a web page apologizing for the inconvenience.
“We are currently experiencing a service outage. Check back soon,” the message read.
A Flair spokesperson told Global News in an emailed statement Monday afternoon that the airline’s teams “have been working overnight to address the disruption.”
“While we regret any inconvenience this may have caused, we anticipate that booking services will be restored within the next few hours,” the statement said.
The spokesperson did not address Global News’ question about the cause of the outage.
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Flair reportedly told the Globe and Mail in an email on Sunday that his crews were working overnight and a decision was expected within hours.
The latest setbacks come as Flair faces financial hurdles. The company owes the federal government $67.2 million in unpaid taxes, but says it has a deal to pay the amount back to the Canada Revenue Agency.
The airline is also caught in a back-and-forth legal situation with the lessors of part of its fleet, which seized a number of jets from the airline last spring amid allegations of non-payment – a claim Flair reject it.
Flair also reduced its spring travel schedule in 2024, flying 600 fewer flights than in March, April and May last year. In a statement to Global News on Friday, Flair pushed back on claims that the reduced schedule had anything to do with financial challenges.
Instead, CEO Stephen Jones said in a statement that the company is focusing on longer flights to sun destinations and fewer domestic flights.
Flair is left as Canada’s only low-cost carrier after the collapse of Lynx Air last month.
Karl Moore, an associate professor at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management, tells Global News that Flair’s financial difficulties and the mess affecting its booking system make him “nervous” about the company’s future.
“If you don’t invest enough in IT, you can have problems like this, which will affect your ability to serve your clients and actually make money over time,” he said.
– with files from Anne Gaviola of Global News
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
